A weapon is only useful if it destroys the intended target w/an amount of collateral damage acceptable to the user.
For that reason, nukes are useless for the kinds of war the US military likes to wage.
They were used to great effect in Japan with the war ending very quickly soon after. Knowing they will never be used will certainly embolden enemies, and will force you to fight their fight. That's just what's happening now. No one else but the democracies worries about "collateral damage" in a war, which is why we are always at a disadvantage.
Vietnam was not just a political victory. It was military victory for the Viet Cong, because the Viet Cong forced the US to withdraw; the other side quitting means you win.
No, the US military could easily have defeated the Vietcong.
And when the US withdraws from Afghanistan, it will be a military victory for the Taleban.
Keep in mind it is not just the US fighting in Afghanistan, though that's the way anti American propaganda works. There are several countries involved, including my own. It will be a political self defeat by the West when we leave, and will just be a continuation of what's gone before.
For something to be only a political victory for a side, it must entail military defeat for that side coupled with victory in winning large-scale support for one's cause.
There are military defeats and political defeats. Give the military carte blanche and we'll see how long the Taleban, Gadaffi, or any of these third world dictatorships stand up. They would be gone in weeks. But the democracies are weak and without any political cohesion or determination.
Actually, in the modern world, it all about strategy. The Taleban doesn't have anywhere near the offense budget of the US, but it's able to hold its own in Afghanistan because its tactics are superior to the those of the US forces, including its attempt to exploit US distaste for long conflicts to force an (eventual) US withdrawal.
Sure. That's why it is not all military. It's about will and politics.
Forcing the US military to withdraw is actually significantly easier than most people know, and most of the US's past opponents know. Obviously, I can't elaborate on that here.
I agree. The US is the strongest democracy while the rest are comparative wimps, filled with self doubts and no stomach for war. Plus they are as anti American as the Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood. The US will eventually crumble also as soon as there are any body bags arriving home and the accent will be placed on "Exit Strategy", a recent term devised to disguise defeat as victory. I think it's quite clear where the future lies. The only saving grace for the American people is their Second Amendment.